Thread: Newbie with questions about buying hones.

Hello all,

I am very glad to be a member of this great forum and also getting into the world of SR shaving. My wife recently gifted me a straight razor set from SRD (very good customer service from Lynn's team). I have shaved 6 times with it; it surely makes a huge difference shaving with a SR.
Now, I am interested in learning the art of Honing as I am sure I will buy a couple more razors in the next few months.
I am looking or advise regarding the purchase of hones and getting around to learning to Hone without hurting my razors.
1. Should I buy a used razor to just learn honing?
2. I am looking at the Naniwa wet stones; should I also be getting a 220 along with 1000, 3000, 8000?

Thanks in advance!

I am not versed enough to give advice on razors or should you hone on your own right yet.......so with that I will say a big welcome aboard!

I'm the newbie who started this thread , so take anything I say as a grain of salt.
I think it is important to learn to shave first. For me that was 3-4 months of daily sr shaving. YMMV-(Your mileage may vary) Try to eliminate as many variables as possible as you can. Find a mentor close to you if you can and leave the honing to the pros for now. You should be able to shave for that long with just good stropping. With a little Chromium oxide can keep it sharp for a good while.
Just enjoy the art of Straight Razor Shaving at first.
I know that's not what you want to hear. Just the thoughts of this newbie

Thanks Michael! I am sure I will have more questions to come...I am glad to be on this forum.

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for the good advise. I totally agree with you and would not rush into honing my razor yet...but the reason I am looking into this aspect of this art is because I am moving back to India in 2 years and am not sure if I will be able to find somebody in my area who would be able to hone my razors correctly. So, I thought it was a good idea to gather some ideas and also learn Honing when I have an opportunity. If I do go wrong, I can always send the razor to SRD for a fix.
Please keep sharing your experiences and tips as it will help me learn. :-)

Thomas I also would suggest meeting with Ken again and seeing what he uses. He likley has a pile of rocks and can help you decide what fits for you. Herman if you are going to start get a cheaper decent quality razor to learn on and continue shaving with your srd razor. And no you won't need the 220 stone. Good luck to you both

Originally Posted by hemanth369

Thanks Michael! I am sure I will have more questions to come...I am glad to be on this forum.

This is certainly the place to learn anything that I can see about razors and way much more information than I can house right now. Great bunch of folks here that I have yet to have anyone flame me personally for a stupid question or a stupid thing I have done

Post those questions and answers will certainly come forth!

Thanks for the advise Ed. I will actually check with my barber if there is any place close by where I can learn to hone.
Any suggestions on the cheaper decent quality razors?

There is a list of good razors in the library just look for one with out too much hone wear or rust etc. There are heaps of vintage stuff on ebay that fits the bill and if unsure just post a photo for advice. Otherwise keep a eye on the classifieds for a cheap one to come up